The Labor enquirer., 1887-08-13
Tells The United Labor Party
What They Must Do at
Syracuse.
1.-THE SOCIALISTS MUST co..
Comments upon the Logic, Consistency
and Policy Of the New
Move. neI

The following extracts from the
Hast issue of the Standard will
summarize the stand Mr.. George
has taken since the publication by
Grouland of his recent able and
critical pamphlet on the INSULT
cheney of the George idea to abol-
ish poverty:
It is necessary that that the
platform to be adopted by the
United Labor Party convention
which is to meet in Syracuse on
August y should firmly and clear
| ly define the position of the party
with relation to Socialism. This
is rendered necessary by the or
ganized endeavor of the State
or German Socialists to impress
their peculiar views upon the par
| ty-an endeavor that has become
so notorious that any disposition
to evade the issue whether or not
the United Labor Party indorses
these views, would give its enc
mics a specious pretext to make
the charge that it does.
Since the relation of the Unit
ed Labor Party with Socialism
has been brought into such prom
inence and will enter into the
most important part of the pro-
ceedings of the convention. it is
all the better that Socialism should
be represented their by its ablest
opponents, and it would be pity
to rule out of the convention on
technical grounds three such men
as Messrs. Schevitch, Gronlund
and Vrooman-the first a we'll
known Socialistic editor, the Sec
ond well-known Socialisic writer
and the third an accredited mis-
sionary and orator of the Socialis-
tic Labor Party. The question
between State or German Social
ism and the ideas of that great
party of equal rights and individ-
ual freedom which is now begin
ming to rise all over the land, may
as well. since the Socialists bave
raised it, be settled now as at any
other time, and ought to be set
tied frankly and openly, and on
its merits, and with the best repre-
sentation of Socialistic ideas that
the members of the party who
hold to these ideas can select.
There are a large number of us
who are not Socialists, do not pro-
pose to become Socialists, and are
not willing to be used as stalk
ing horse for Socialism; and if
the Socialists of the German
school. who have hitherto acted
with the United Labor Party. pur-
pose to use the Socialistic organi-
zation as party within a party,
and making up in discipline what
they lack in numbers, to insist up
on any indorsment. expressed or
implied. of their peculiar theo-
ries, as a condition continuing
to act with the party; then the
quicker the two parties separate,
each to go its own way, the better
it viii be.
Such confused theories
and wild schemes as those of the
doctrinaircs of the German Social
iStic school can never stand the
test of intelligent discussion or
make Roadway among a people
with whom the instinct of individ-
ual freedom is so strong as with
ours.
For if the laborcr does not not
now obtain his fair earnings; if,
despite the improvements which
increase the productive power,
wages still tend to a minimum
that gives but bare living, it is
not because OF any inherent injus-
tice in the wage system" nor be-
cause ofaay "law of wages" which
operates because it must.
In concentrating effort
on the recognition of equal rights
to land, the new party is striking
at the root of that unjust distribu-
tion OF wealth which the Socialists
of the German school blame to the
wage system, and of that tyranny
which they mistakenly attribute
to capital. But we do not propose
to stop here. There are other mo-